Philando Castile’s father in prison wants part of $3M settlement

Philando Castile‘s father is fighting for a portion of the $3 million settlement reached in relation to his son’s fatal shooting.

Phelix H. Frazier Sr., who is serving a life sentence in prison, claimed that he was “totally blindsided by (Valerie Castile’s) lack of compassion,” when Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, claimed that he had not made any claims to the money and that he was not present.

Frazier also noted that he believed her daughter and Philando’s half-sister, Allysza Castile, deserved some of the money as well, claiming that they both should get $500,000.

“It was not just Valerie’s loss,” he wrote in his petition from prison, adding that while he did not get to see his son much, that arguably made the loss more keenly felt.

“On some level I believe I will miss Philando (more) than most because of what we ‘were not’ able to do together,” he wrote.

This after a Hennepin County judge said on Wednesday that she was likely going to approve Valerie Castile’s proposal that she receive the funds in their entirety after the legal team is paid, according to the Star Tribune.

Attorney Robert Bennett had previously reached out to sixteen of Castile’s family members, and Frazier replied on July 5 only to credit Valerie Castile with raising their son.

District Judge Susan Robiner has said that she was “impressed” by Frazier’s objections but that he did not qualify for any funds because of the life sentence he is serving. What’s more, Bennett’s plan stated that Allysza Castile was not fit to receive money from the settlement because of “elements” in her life “that are not conducive to her receipt of a large sum of money at this time.”